Honey Grove review - “A cozy gardening sim buzzing with character”

• Enjoy a calming gardening experience
• Merge ingredients to craft supplies
• Feed woodland creatures to gain their friendship

While they may seem rather plebian on the surface, honey bees are a vital part of our planet's ecosystem. These hive-dwelling insects work together to serve their queen in perfect harmony. But what happens to a hive when it's overcome by a foreboding fog, and how can it be restored? Get answers to these questions and more in Honey Grove, a new gardening sim.

Honey Grove: Save your Bee Buddies 

Bea long ago left the hive in search of something more. However, after receiving a letter stating the hive is in dire straits, Bea returns home to help save her colony. Upon her return, Bea learns that most of the hive has been overtaken by heavy fog, and many bees and neighbouring woodland creatures are lost within it. 

Further, most of the buildings of Honey Grove have been terribly damaged. Working with the inventive Professor Montgomery, you must remove the fog, build a thriving garden of wildflowers, vegetables, and fruits, and rebuild beloved town structures like the Garden Store and the Post Office.

Meet the Professor

One of the first bees Bea encounters upon returning to Honey Grove is the Professor. The Professor is the only bee capable of researching ways to remove the fog. When it’s time to clear a new section of the grove, collect the necessary ingredients, tap on the Professor, and tap research. The Professor can also conduct research to expand the merge table and increase the amount of nectar that can be stored.

The Professor will also introduce you to the merge table, where you can merge ingredients to make logs, seeds, and other basic supplies. The crafting via merging mechanic suits Honey Grove’s calming vibe. You can get basic resources to use at the merge table by sending a bee out on quests to the quarry, woodlands, or walnut tree.

Explore Honey Grove

After the Professor puts together a pair of fog goggles, you’ll be able to send one of your bees out on quests. Quests let you scout new areas, learn research recipes, find missing bees, and meet new forest friends. You'll also come across dilapidated buildings which you can fix up.

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The length of time your bee spends on a quest varies greatly. Some quests, like gathering supplies from the walnut tree, take only a minute, while some story quests can take an hour or more. To guarantee your quest is successful, make sure the bee or bees you send have enough power to complete it. You can increase a bee’s level by completing tasks specific to them, which you can find by tapping the book icon.

You can enter the home of any woodland critter you encounter. You’ll start out as strangers but can slowly become friends by gifting them their preferred foods. Each critter has a distinct personality, so it's worth visiting and befriending them just for the interactions.

Leave No Seed Unplanted in Honey Grove

It’s important early on to plant and nurture every seedling you collect. To do so, head to the garden and select the shovel icon in the lower right corner. If you have any unused seeds, you’ll see them in the small popup menu. Simply drag a seed onto an empty tile to plant it.

Seeds need to be nurtured by a bee multiple times before they can finish growing. Flowers allow you to collect nectar, which you'll need to go on quests. After all the nectar has been taken from a flower, it’ll need a few hours to rest before you can collect from it again. It’s challenging to make any progress when you're out of nectar, and all your flowers are asleep. However, just use a watering can to restart nectar production. 

Honey Grove: Now We’re Cooking

While the flowers you plant are permanent fixtures in your garden, fruits and vegetables will disappear once they are harvested. The food you collect can be used as ingredients for meals, and these can be given as gifts. 

To cook meals, you first need to find Carmen Spaggiari, the chef bee, by completing some quests. Once you have her, simply tap on her kitchen worktable and select craft next to any recipe you have all the ingredients for. The meals you craft can be given as gifts to specific woodland creatures to improve their relationship with the bees.

Honey Grove offers a Zen-like experience. Running out of nectar can really slow down your progress. However, if you refresh a flower or two with water when running low, you’ll be able to keep questing for some time. You’ll be charmed by the adorable bees and woodland creatures as you tend your peaceful garden. 

You'll also enjoy discovering new plants, meeting new bees and woodland creatures, and unlocking new areas. With all this going for it, Honey Grove is an excellent choice if you’re looking for an engaging gardening sim.